2023 Riesling Vom Vulkan

Karsten Peter notes that 2023 was a warmer year, yet without “brutal” heat and a different distribution of rain. Flowering happened in perfect conditions but was followed by a very dry spell in summer, relieved in August. “We had massive rains in August,” Peter confirms, but emphasizes that the steep, free-draining, stony sites are a huge advantage in this respect. “If 100 liters fall in four weeks, 50 of these just drain away,” he says. “The [negative] impact is not big, but you have great water availability.” Canopy management was key to preventing rot. He conveys that harvest had to be hurried to “preserve freshness and elegance.” Picking started with Sekt base wines on 9 September. The main harvest began in late September and finished on 5th October – with a giant crew about a month earlier than usual. “It was a short, intense harvest, and we did not wait for any nobly rotten Prädikatebecause our focus is on dry wines with a certain precision, so we had to be quick. We went full throttle.” He adds that those in the Nahe who “realized that the fuse was lit made different wines from those who did not,” meaning that ripeness and rot ran away at some other estates. The selective harvest meant 30% loss of yield. Gut Hermannsberg made a GG from the Niederhäuser Klamm in der Rossel site in 2023 for the first time. I will taste the GGs from the Traiser Bastei, Niederhäuser Hermannsberg and Schlossböckelheimer Kupfergrube in the year of their release in five years’ time. For this report, I tasted the 2019 Hermannsberg and Kupfergrube from barrel samples of the finished blends.